Providing communications between a vehicle control device and a user device via a head unit

• US 9,135,756 B2
• Filed: 08/14/2013
• Issued: 09/15/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 08/14/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: HTI IP LLC (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Doughty, John, Berkobin, Eric
• Primary Examiner(s): Black, Thomas G
• Assistant Examiner(s): PAIGE, TYLER D
• Application Number:
  US13/967,100
• Publication Number:
  US 20150051787A1
• Time in Patent Office: 762 Days
• Field of Search: 701/31.5, 714/49
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 16/023 for transmission of signals between vehicle parts or subsystems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/08 Insurance
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/0841 Registering performance data recording measured values G01D; information storage G11B
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/155 Ground-based stations H04B7/204 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/125 involving control of end-device applications over a network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/63 Routing a service request depending on the request content or context

Abstract

A vehicle head unit may receive a request, from a user device and by the head unit, to establish communication with a control device of a vehicle. The control device may be in communication with the head unit via a vehicle communication network associated with the vehicle. The head unit may establish communication between the user device and the control device based on the received request. The head unit may forward a message between the user device and the control device based on the established communication. The message may be forwarded between the user device and the control device via the head unit.

Claims

1. A head unit, comprising:

one or more processors to;

receive a request, from a user device, to establish communication with one or more control devices of a vehicle,

the one or more control devices being in communication with the head unit via a vehicle communication network associated with the vehicle;

establish communication between the user device and the one or more control devices based on the received request,

the communication between the user device and the one or more control devices of the vehicle being established independent of a wired on-board diagnostics port; and

forward a message between the user device and the one or more control devices based on the established communication,

the message being forwarded between the user device and the one or more control devices via the head unit.

2. The head unit of claim 1, where the message being forwarded between the user device and the control device via the head unit includes a parameter identifier (PID) request message.

3. The head unit of claim 2, where the PID request message includes a request for information associated with performance of the vehicle.

4. The head unit of claim 1, where the one or more processors, when establishing communication between the user device and the one or more control devices, are further to:

establish communication with the user device via a wireless interface;

establish communication with the one or more control devices via the vehicle communication network,

the communication with the one or more control devices via the vehicle communication network being established using a wired connection; and

where the one or more processors, when forwarding the message between the user device and the one or more control devices, are further to;

receive the message from the user device via the wireless interface; and

forward the message to the one or more control devices via the vehicle communication network.

5. The head unit of claim 1, where the one or more processors are further to:

receive configuration information from the user device,

the configuration information identifying a message format associated with the vehicle communication network,

the vehicle communication network being a network over which the message is to be transmitted to the one or more control devices; and

where the one or more processors, when establishing communication between the user device and the one or more control devices, are further to;

establish communication between the user device and the one or more control devices based on the received configuration information.

6. The head unit of claim 1, where the one or more processors are further to:

receive information associated with configuring the head unit to establish communication between the user device and the one or more control devices; and

where the one or more processors, when establishing communication between the user device and the one or more control devices, are further to;

establish communication between the user device and the one or more control devices based on receiving the information associated with configuring the head unit.

7. The head unit of claim 1, where the one or more processors are further to:

receive connection information, from the user device, indicating that communication is to be established between the user device and the one or more control devices when the user device is detected in proximity to the head unit;

store the connection information indicating that communication is to be established;

detect that the user device is in proximity to the head unit; and

where the one or more processors, when establishing communication between the user device and the one or more control devices, are further to;

establish communication between the user device and the one or more control devices based on the stored connection information and further based on detecting that the user device is in proximity to the head unit.

8. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions, the instructions comprising:

one or more instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to;

receive, via a wireless network, a request to establish communication between a user device and a control device associated with a vehicle,

the control device being associated with a vehicle communication network of the vehicle;

establish communication between the user device and the control device based on the received request,

the communication between the user device and the control device being established independent of a wired on-board diagnostics port; and

forward a response message, received from the control device via the vehicle communication network, to the user device, via the wireless network, based on establishing the communication.

9. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8, where the request includes a parameter identifier that identifies a parameter associated with the vehicle.

10. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 9, where the one or more instructions, that cause the one or more processors to establish communication between the user device and the control device, further cause the one or more processors to:

provide the parameter identifier to the control device via the vehicle communication network.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 10, where the one or more instructions, that cause the one or more processors to forward the response message to the user device, further cause the one or more processors to:

receive the response message from the control device via the vehicle communication network based on providing the parameter identifier to the control device; and

forward the received response message to the user device via the wireless network.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8, where the one or more instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, further cause the one or more processors to:

receive the response message via a wired connection associated with the vehicle communication network; and

where the one or more instructions, that cause the one or more processors to forward the response message, further cause the one or more processors to;

forward the message based on receiving the response message via the wired connection.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8, where the one or more instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, further cause the one or more processors to:

identify the control device;

provide information identifying the control device to the user device;

receive information indicating that the user device intends to be forwarded the response message from the control device based on the information identifying the control device; and

where the one or more instructions, that cause the one or more processors to forward the response message, further cause the one or more processors to;

forward the response message based on the information indicating that the user device intends to be forwarded the response message from the control device.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8, where the one or more instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, further cause the one or more processors to:

receive a parameter identifier from the user device via the wireless network;

provide the parameter identifier to the control device via the vehicle communication network;

receive the response message from the control device, via the vehicle communication network, based on providing the parameter identifier to the control device; and

where the one or more instructions, that cause the one or more processors to forward the response message to the user device, further cause the one or more processors to;

forward the response message to the user device based on receiving the response message from the control device.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8, where the one or more instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, further cause the one or more processors to:

determine that the user device is within a wireless communication range of a head unit of the vehicle; and

where the one or more instructions, that cause the one or more processors to establish communication between the user device and the control device, further cause the one or more processors to;

establish communication between the user device and the control device based on determining that the user device is within the wireless communication range of the head unit.

16. A method, comprising:

receiving, by a head unit of a vehicle, a request to establish communication with one or more control devices, associated with a vehicle communication network of the vehicle, and with a user device;

establishing, by the head unit, communication between the user device and the one or more control devices based on the received request to establish communication,

the communication between the user device and the one or more control devices being established without using a wired on-board diagnostics port;

receiving, by the head unit, a message in a first format based on the established communication;

translating, by the head unit, the message from the first format to a second format; and

delivering, by the head unit, the message in the second format.

17. The method of claim 16, where the message in the first format includes one of:

a parameter identifier (PID) request message, or

a response message, the response message being in response to the PID request message; and

where the message in the second format includes the other of;

the PID request message, or

the response message.

18. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

receiving information associated with updating a parameter of a particular control device, of the one or more control devices, from a telematics monitoring device and via the user device,

the telematics monitoring device being connected to the user device via a network; and

where delivering the message further comprises;

delivering the information associated with updating the parameter to the particular control device;

determining that the delivered information associated with updating the parameter was received by the particular control device; and

providing, to the telematics monitoring device and via the user device, confirmation that the information associated with updating the parameter was received by the particular control device based on determining that the delivered information associated with updating the parameter was received by the particular control device.

19. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

determining that the user device is connected to the head unit via a connection;

determining that the user device is capable of having communication established with the one or more control devices; and

where receiving the request to establish communication further comprises;

receiving the request based on determining that the user device is connected to the head unit via the connection; and

where receiving the message or delivering the message further comprises;

receiving the message or delivering the message using the connection.

20. The method of claim 16, where receiving the message in the first format further comprises:

receiving the message from the user device;

determining, based on the first format, that the message is intended for a particular control device of the one or more control devices;

determining a recipient indicator, associated with the second message format,

the recipient indicator indicating that the particular control device, of the one or more control devices, is to receive the message and that other control devices, of the one or more control devices, are not to receive the message; and

where translating the message from the first format to the second format further comprises;

processing the message to include the recipient indicator; and

where delivering the message in the second format further comprises;

delivering the processed message to the particular control device.